Time to ACCEPT your destiny?

ACCEPT, the association for community counselling, education and psychological training, is offering two home study courses in counselling, psychology and therapy beginning this winter. The certificate course is one year long, while the diploma qualification takes two years.

"Because so many people are interested in the whole field of counselling and therapy we decided to develop the distance learning course," course director Malachy Kinnerney says. "We provide a personal tutor to monitor students' progress, and the course is open to anybody who finds it of interest or of value, irrespective of their previous knowledge or experience."

The cost of the course is £318 per year; it is aimed at interested members of the public, those who may be considering training in counselling and existing counsellors who feel in need of a "refresher" course. The official closing date for receipt of applications was yesterday, so those interested should waste no time in contacting ACCEPT (tel or fax: (01) 280 0280, mornings only).

If 1996 is the year you plan to become artistic around the house, then perhaps a course in decorative paint finishes would be useful. The Rathfarnham based Design Workshops (tel: (01) 494 6435; fax (01) 493 6407) is kicking off their new year programme with a week long course in this skill beginning on February 12th; from then to early May, courses will be run on all sorts of home related activities, from interior design to garden planning and stencilling.

The National Distance Learning Centre will present briefing sessions on the open and distance learning component of the EU funded SOCRATES programme at the following locations this week: today, 2.30 p.m., DCU Business School, Room Q254; Thursday, 2.15 p.m., Galway Ryan Hotel; also Thursday, 2.15 p.m., Jurys Hotel, Cork. The sessions will include information on the programme, application procedures and feedback from the first evaluation round in November.